


Change of Fate: Book 1

by Vildtiger



Series: Change of Fate [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Kingdom Hearts 1, Michi is not an OC, new creatures: Keeper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:33:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vildtiger/pseuds/Vildtiger
Summary: An AU where fate and the future are much more fickle, so easy to change that even those with the gazing eyes- the Foretellers can't always predict the future but have every intention to aim it at their chosen path.A universe where Light can be evil and Darkness might be good, it all comes to ones view on them and how to tackle each emotions those two driving forces allow ones heart to feel.Takes place during Kingdom Hearts 1After the fall of Destiny Islands, the once protector of that world shifts his attention to Sora and his other chosen; the hooded Michi. this ancient Master will guide the two towards the future He and the others are aiming for.
Relationships: Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Change of Fate [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593028
Kudos: 4





	1. The protector of Destiny Islands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Never thought I would return back to this Fandom, but here I am!**
> 
> **Before we begin, this is an AU, and yet is somewhat following the cannon stories. Because of that, I am skipping a lot of the worlds or scenes from the games since you already know them.**
> 
> **Oh and if you don't know the Kingdom Hearts games, then I highly suggest you do not read this story; it will confuse the heck outta you as I wrote this story to one knowing the lore of this series.**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

A young boy at the age of fourteen wanders inside a small cave. The children of the islands are calling this place a big secret among them, but everyone knows about this place. Drawings from generations have been left on the walls, those who have faded, a new set of drawings will be put on by the new generation of children.

He always liked this spot and once and a while went in here to check what the vivid children's imagination has left behind. From his small hiding spot, he is watching one of the local kids add to a drawing he and this girl made for one another back when they were small. The boy draws the face of himself handing the drawing of the girl a papou fruit, pretty much confessing his childish love for her.

Won't surprise him if those two do, in fact, get together. They have shared a unique bond since she was brought here by that spell. He titles his head lightly at what the boy has made. This will be mostly the only interaction he ever will do with those small people, watching from a distance. For although he finds their imagination fascinating. He rather not actually speaks with them, but it seems, this time, he has to make an exception.

"I don't suppose you're the one who has opened the door." He states out, though it can be mistaken for a question. He knows this world soon will be dragged down into darkness like so many else, he knows it has to happen, but it still annoys him. The Destiny Islands is his world, and he is its guardian, so be forced to watch it be dragged into the realm of darkness, knowing he cannot save all. It's infuriating.

But it has to be this way, all for the sake of the wanted future.

The boy, expectantly jumps up from his seat, turning away from the small piece of art and over to his spot. "Wh-Who are you?" The boy asks.

He takes note this boy is not afraid, more startled of having an audience, interesting.

He leaves the spot, allowing the boy to see him better. The boy blinks but does not recognize him, no one does anymore but that was what he wanted. "No, I don't think it was you." He brushes his own question off. Bobbing his head towards this kid, who does not seems like much, but he's getting quite the journey. "And I do not think whoever it was is fully aware of the consequence of opening the door– inviting the monsters anyone least wants near their home." The intruder has come, but until the darkness fully arrives, the leader of the dark beings better keep their distance as that one won't stand a chance against him.

"Huh?"

Of course, the kid does not understand, doubt an adult would. "Enjoy your time on this island, for when the storm comes, you won't see these shores for a very long time." He turns around to leave the perplexed child. "At least you're getting to see what lies beyond the ocean."

,,,,,,,,,,,,

The darkness that has been invited is starting to invade the world's heart, he can feel those foul creatures are attacking the core and wants to stop it but know it has to happen. However, that does not mean the leader of this invasion can get a free pass in setting foot into his world. He meets this guy on the broken Lane that once connected this world to the others. "I don't recall allowing you to invade this world," he tells the cloaked figure, who is, from what sense he's getting, nothing but a heart.

"This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness." The hooded speaks in a smooth voice and in a manner that makes him sound like he knows what he is talking about. Which he doesn't. "Soon to be completely eclipsed, and you…" The Heart points its cloaked hand at him. "cannot stop it returning back to the Darkness."

"Returning back to the Darkness?" He frowns at what the heart had said, makes him wonder if the owner of this roaming heart knows about the distant past or this guy just have darkness on the brain. "and what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Everything started in Darkness and thus will return back to Darkness." The Heart replies.

Diffidently darkness on the brain, or heart, since that's all this is. "I beg to differ," but is not going to explain what he means, rather not give this Darkness Deadbeat any sort of advantage.

"One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

That almost made him laugh, is this Heart calling him ignorant? That's rich and something he will remember to repeat back if he ever has to eliminate this Heart. "Maybe so, but as long as I am around. You will not be allowed onto this world and trust me, Heart." He summons his double-bladed short-sword and points it at the Heart. "You may be strong in heart, but it means nothing when that cloak is all that holds you tired to this realm. A child can take you out in this state and trust me; I am no child." He only looks like one with his short statues and still soft-featured face. His comrades often make fun of it, much to his annoyance.

The Heart seems to consider its options and from how it lingers, it's pretty clear it wants to enter his world, but he won't let it. The cloaked one will get this world, but that's it. The Heart must find whoever it got to open the door to Destiny Islands heart somewhere in the darkness when it swallows this world. "A meaningless effort." The Heart speaks but does leave the borders of his world. "Enjoy the last hours before you will watch the world you're protecting be consumed by Darkness."

Lowering his weapon now that the leader of the invasion has backed off, "I am planning on doing so." He replies and, with no more interruptions, he returns back to the smaller island and takes a seat at the larger wooded platform. It holds a brilliant view of the ocean, and like the two children, he enjoys the last sight of the sunset before it will be eclipsed, but at least it will return. "Hard to believe that even though I know it will return:" He takes a bite of the fruit only found in this world, it has gotten a different meaning here; if two shares this fruit, they will be tied together. But he does not care, he will still eat it no matter its new meaning. "I'm still going to miss this simple world."

"I can feel a disturbance in this world's balance." A woman's voice and the owner of the voice appears. It's one of his allies. Her dark blue hair is braided, a small part over the left shoulder but most of it is hanging to the right, over the haze-purple robe with the middle being light heather, revealing her pointy ears. A leather bag is attached around the waist, different shades of blue armor hang on the left shoulder. Gloves and pants are dark-brown, boots close to black, which makes the golden metal spring out.

She steps up beside him, her purple eyes are on the two children below for a moment before turning back to him. "Is it time?"

He takes a bite of the fruit and when swallowing, nods. "Yeah," he replies. She nods slowly and presumably thinking about her own world if that gleam in her purple eyes is any indication. It hasn't been lost to darkness but is far from what it used to be. They can't think much about these losses though, for those sacrifices needs to be made for the sake of putting the lost pieces properly back together. "How's word out in the other worlds?" He asks curiously.

Since he got a better idea when the invasion would happen, he hasn't left this world and thus neglected his other duties, but at least he has people who can pick up the slack for him.

"Our 'friend' has been busy." She replies and leans against the railing "A lot of worlds have fallen into Darkness, but I managed to keep most of their heart safe from those foul creatures." She's quiet for a moment before she speaks again. "If not for our consistency plan, more people would've fallen in with those worlds."

"I'm surprised Aether had let us drag that entire world into this realm," he remarks.

She nods in agreement and hypnotizes softly. "It must've felt a lot of people needed sanctuary." He can't say much about it, the realm of Aether has always been kinda weird and too much of a bother of trying putting logic to a realm that seems to have none. His ally speaks again: "Maleficent is capturing the Pure hearts from our prime chosen 'suggestion' and gathering them in Ava's world. Planning to summon Kingdom Hearts."

In that case, "I will keep a sharp eye on the one residing here." He promises, for the last they need is someone using the Pure Hearts to reach Kingdom Hearts or worse, try and forge the forbidden blade before time.

Silence falls over them, both he and his comrade are watching the sun slowly disappear in the horizon, soon the darkness will flood into this world and it will be dragged down into the realm of darkness.

"Do you wish I stay?"

He quirks a smile at this question, but there's no need. "It will return soon again. So I'm not overly broken down over it," He shrugs but since she is such in a charitable mood. "but I could use a small aid from you."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Night has arrived and so have the invasion. He stares up to the massive gateway to the realm of darkness, pulling everything into that realm. He can only watch this opened gateway drag this world away from the realm of light, but he can find some solace that many of the people will survive thanks to their consistency plan. Of course, three of the local children are going to be a bother. One of them is the Pure heart and knowing the leader is near: "Looks like I have to take drastic measures." He speaks to himself as he really does not want to deal with their prime chosen mess around with Kingdom Hearts, least not before it is time. And it's not time before in a few years. So, he heads down to where the Pure heart is so he can keep her out from the leader's clutches.

The Heart notices his presence and turns away from the hypnotized Pure heart.

He summons his weapon, only going to give the Heart this single warning. "Step away from the girl, Heart."

"It has already begun, this world will fall to—"

"Darkness, yes, yes, the portal to the realm is hard to miss." He interrupts the Heart impatiently while walking over. "Now get lost before I shatter that heart of yours." The Heart is stupid enough to stand their ground, bad mistake. He rushes over and strikes— far from full strength but enough to prove a point that he's not one to be messed with.

The Heart retreats. "This changes nothing."

With that one gone, he turns to the Pure heart, well aware that the Heart is too set on getting this one but without— a spike of light interrupts his thoughts, it's a feeling he hasn't felt for a very long time. But it was expected to happen. "Huh, talk about good timing."

He drags the Pure heart with him, but when seeing it is not the one who got it handed down but this other wielder– though he has seen in his visions this boy wield a keyblade, so does not comes as a surprise. And knowing this boy and the Pure heart share a unique bond, well who better than having him protect her. Not in an ordinary manner, it will be too risky. So in a swift move, he throws the boy off his feet, takes the newly formed keyblade and uses it to transfer the Pure heart into him for safekeeping. With that done, he takes the girl's comatose body and leaves the world.

,,,,,,,,,,,

After the boy got thrown into the portal, he was at first surrounded by a disturbing cold that felt like reaching his very heart. More passed out than awake, the boy saw glimpses of a figure throwing something around, a whip he thinks… removing the worst of the cold. That person lifted him up and the next thing he knew. He got licked by a yellow dog and is in a place so unlike the islands.

He did get quite excited to be in what he can only presume is another world, unaware that his rescuer is briefly watching him at one of the shops before she leaves him to investigate this new world on his own.

The boy will learn a lot of new things, such as the monsters that attacked the islands are called the Heartless, how his new weapon– the keyblade is the only thing that can truly defeat them. With the consequence that the Heartless will hunt him down in an attempt to rid themselves of the only weapon that can reclaim the hearts they have stolen.

It's also here the boy encountered his new traveling companions, two from another world as well and offered him to ride with them in search of both his friends and their missing king.

And so, Sora went on his journey. Though still troubled what that man inside the secret cave told him, that he won't see home for a very long time. It saddens him but did brush it off for now as he really wanted to find his missing friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **most of what happened on the Destiny Islands and Traverse Town is the same as in the game. Except Riku won't meet the brown-robed person on the island, "He" wouldn't have allowed it, so Riku will be found by Maleficent inside the darkness and then things will go the same way for him as it did in the game.**
> 
> I have made a scene to this chapter, 


	2. Michi

In one of the worlds, Sora and his two companions visited, a world called Deep Jungle. The newly fledged keyblade wielder Sora not only got into trouble with a nasty leopard but got into an argument with Donald, a spell caster duck about if this backwater world even would have those they were searching for. Sora believed there might be a chance, not to mention he really want to see new worlds.

He encountered a wild man named Tarzan, and according to that one's broken English, his friends might be in this world. But the hunter Clayton made it very hard to ask the Gorillas for help after the man almost shot one of them.

Sora is at a loss, not sure what to do, then he and the others suddenly heard someone screaming inside the jungle, and without a moment of thought, he ran into the jungle, towards whoever is in danger. Only Goofy and Tarzan followed since he and Donald still have issues with one another about the discussion on wherever to search this world for their missing friends or move to the next world.

Inside the bamboo forest, they find that leopard attacking someone dressed in a black coat, head covered by the hood. Tarzan threw a spear at the leopard, averting its attention to them and not the hooded, the leopard roared, attacked with some rapid strikes to then flee when it got too many beatings from the three new arrived. While Tarzan scouted the area in case the leopard he call Sabor is still lurking around, Sora and Goofy walk over to this hooded person.

"Thanks, you guys really saved my skin." The hooded said grateful, then noticed something about that coat of his. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me…" he moans and lifts his arm, showing that the leopard claws have torn the leather coat.

"At least you got away with only a few scratches," Goofy tells the hooded in a friendly manner.

Sora is very confused about why this person is dressed in such strange clothing, and middle of a humid jungle no less. "Why do you cover your face?" He asks this hooded person.

The hooded tense up for a moment, clearly nervous about the subject, "It's well… I'm… uh, on a secret mission, yeah, very secret," he replies, now with a more confident tone. "I can't let anyone see my face, not even you— but that does not mean I am grateful for saving me!" He corrects himself as if nervous they will take offense in his reasoning to keep the face hidden. Sora must admit that this whole secret mission is quite weird, but he figures this person has his reasoning. Besides, things have been weird since he got removed from the island. The hooded glances at the torn coat again and a bit to Sora's confusion: "Say, you don't happen to travel to other worlds?"

"I do, but how do you know about…"

"I can travel to other worlds as well," the hooded explains and gestures at the coat. "This coat here protects me when I do my travels but… well with it torn, I'm stuck, so… can I go with you guys for a while? Pleeease?" the hooded asks with hands together in a begging pose.

Huh, never thought there are others who can travel between the worlds, but meeting one is pretty cool and this guy, although weird, seems nice enough. "Sure, you can come with us." The hooded lets out air of relief, making the newly fledged keyblade wielder smile. "I'm Sora." he offers this one a hand as greeting.

The hooded hesitates, casts one look into the forest before he turns back to Sora with, "call me Michi." and takes the hand. The roar of the leopard makes Michi jump hilariously and Sora really has to resist not laughing. The hooded stares into the bamboo forest, slowly turning to him. "Eh… can we leave before that big cat returns?"

Sora nods and they leave the area, they find the tent of Jane empty and right after have left Michi to recover, Sora, Goofy, Tarzan and a much more willing to work with him again Donald. They all hurry out to save Jane and the Gorillas.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

After having dealt with the problems in that world and locked the keyhole, Sora thought it would be best at taking Michi back to Traverse Town, mostly because Donald didn't trust the hooded guy and Sora can sort of see where he's coming from, but still. "He seems nice enough," Sora argues to Donald and glances back to the hooded person who is trying but failing mending the ruined coat with the sewing gear he got from Jane.

"I cannot trust someone not showing their face," Donald retorts.

Sora opens his mouth to argue, but Michi speaks up, apparently been listening in: "Hey, it's cool. I can't really blame ya for distrusting me." The hooded shrugs and puts the sewing gear into his pocket. "You can drop me off in Traverse Town and I will be out of your hair."

Sora nods slowly, figures it's the best way. So they turn the Gummi ship back to Traverse Town.

While Sora and the others are going out to speak with some Leon guy, Michi has spotted the figure of his Boss. The guy stares at him for a few moments, before walks into the Second District port. Michi follows, and braces himself for another earful of the stunt he pulled off. _'Hopefully, he won't punish me too much...'_ Michi thinks, but the Boss is not known to be a sympathetic man.

Michi finds him at the hotel and knows exactly what room his Boss chose of the three.

"Glad you could come." The Boss said the moment Michi walks inside the green hotel room. The chair on the other side of the table gets pushed out by the feet. "I figure you have a lot of questions."

Oh, good, the Boss is no longer mad at him. Michi takes a seat on the offered chair. At first, quite awkwardly, he sits there, not sure if it would be respectful in asking the questions there is spinning inside his mind to this person.

"Come now, you can ask them." The other one encourages Michi, and this man might look young with the small stature and baby face feature, but Michi knows that the Boss is not one to mess around with. This man's yellow eyes show not only wisdom beyond anyone's years but a certain ruthlessness', one Michi has felt a couple of times in his service for this man.

Michi knows far too well that the Boss is not known for his charity, and will only be under his grace for as long the contract is in play. This man, dressed dark grey hooded shirt with yellow buttons on the two flaps at the chest, and lines around shoulders. Loose steel-blue wristbands, two belts, one blue, another dark brown. The Boss crosses his legs that are covered in carob military pants and rests his wood-colored boots on the other leg. Michi hesitates, but since the Boss didn't look miffed at the stunt, he pulled off and did verbally invite him to ask questions. So… he thinks it's okay. "What should I do? What do you want me to do?" He asks the Boss for advice or some sort of plan to his future actions for honestly, what he had in mind of this mission of his; it is only very loose ideas and first now... the reality on how much he is over his head has sunk in.

The Boss rests his hand on the cheek, bit of that neat orange and short hair bob to the other side of the forehead. The yellow eyes unweaving from their target, like a predator stalking its prey. "Is that a lousy apology, or do you really have no idea what you're doing?" He asks in a calm but sharp voice, not a single thought about the others feelings.

Michi winches of those harsh words, not sure what stung the most, but he has more or less gotten used to the Boss's harshness.

The Boss does not move, keeping his unwavering eyes on him and after a painful moment of silence between them: "Stick to the kid for now. He is so far your only source of transport now that your cloak has gotten torn."

Michi wants to points out the reason his cloak got torn is that the Boss sic his leopard Keeper at him… but is smart enough to know that making such a remark will end with severe punishment. Sure the Boss won't hurt him, but this young-looking man knows how to hurt people without ever raising his doubled bladed weapon. "I can't stick to Ro- I mean Sora forever..." He argues softly, adding quickly in the look the Boss gives them. "Not to be disrespectful— but Sora will be going places I rather not set foot in… he's a magnet for trouble." The jungle world sure proved that, and he does not want to be surrounded by Heartless that is out for blood.

"I see," the Boss muses and is surprisingly one of the few that is very understanding in his reluctance to fight. The young-looking man gets up from his chair and stares out of the window, probably thinking about what he wants him to do, but Michi can't honestly say what is going on inside that guy's head or why he choose him out of all people. After a moment, the Boss turns back to Michi. "Ask one of the refuges here to fix up your cloak, but I don't want you to use the dark corridors. Too many eyes are lurking in that area. Stick to this Sora for the time being, at least until you get your hands on Ethan's Keeper."

The mention of that name makes a painful image of a bulky man getting annihilated by a single powered shot, made by a person in a red-colored robe, face obscured by some mask. The bulky man drops to the ground with a large hole in the chest and face forever frozen in shock. Michi flinches and hands fling to the head, struggling not to think about it, but that face of a once friend has burned into his mind.

"Your memories are returning," the Boss points out, and return his gaze to the alley below the window. "Figures, that seal wasn't made to stand such a long time."

No idea what Boss is talking about, only that he really does not want to remember whatever his mind is trying to grasp. The sheer thought is utterly terrifying, and that's saying a lot if one knew about his current situation. "Can you… can you make it stop?" Michi asks with a trembling voice of what he had just seen. Maybe it's the coward's way, shying away from one's past like this, but he rather lives in ignorance than being forever traumatized by a past that— according to the Boss— has scarred him for life.

The Boss shakes his head. "No, I do not have the right… equipment for such a thing at the moment." That's too bad… "Find the orb before you do anything else."

Michi nods and Boss then says a line he always does when parting ways with him or his partner: "May your heart be your guiding key."

It's probably the most sentimental thing Boss ever will say to him, but… "I don't have a heart at the moment…" so he cannot follow his heart's guidance; it's hard enough to emote emotions.

The Boss titles his head curiously at this statement. "Is that so? Hm, that might explain why the seal is starting to break up– no matter," he waves his hand lazily and with: "Stick to the kid." The Boss leaves the room.

Michi watches the man leave and figures he is going to travel… with his killer. Not exactly something Michi would've liked but he knows better than to argue with the Boss's decisions.

,,,,,,,,,,

Michi finds Sora in the underground tunnels and has to do some quick thinking in how to make the kid let him tag along. "Hey, Sora, so uh, mind if I tag along for a while?" Sora gives him a confused look along with Goofy while Donald stares at him straight out suspiciously. Crap, what to say? Uhhhhh…. Oh he knows: "I spoke with my boss and he told me to stick close to you guys, so… here I am." He chuckles sheepishly.

"Not a chance!" Donald exclaims at this hooded guy.

Sora blinks, not at Donald's yelling, but at what Michi said, _'so he really is under a secret mission.'_ That's pretty cool, and he will accompany them? Someone who knows of other worlds. "Sure, you can come," Sora replies, much to the surprise of Goofy and annoyance of Donald. Turning to both of his traveling companions. "Come on, guys, Michi might be able to help us in finding my friends and your king."

He does know a bit about Sora's friends, this king, eh, not so much. "Oh sure! I have a few ideas about where your friends are!" Michi replies in a fake enthusiastic, right now he will say anything so he can do what Boss told him to.

"See?" Sora smiles to Donald, but the duck does not look convinced.

"Who is this?" a young man with middle long brown hair and a single slash scar over the face asks the trio, so far been quiet to get a grasp on who this Michi is but all he understood that the three have a bit of a split opinion about this hooded person.

Goofy turns to Leon and explains: "We found Michi in another world, and it looks like he is one a secret mission."

"And been traveling to other worlds," Sora speaks up.

Still desperate to get on these guys good side, Michi replies with a cheerful but careful not to sound like a happy fool, only enough to be considered friendly. "Oh, I have been in a bunch of worlds, all part of the mission."

"And now your mission is tag along Sora, Donald and Goofy?" Leon asks, not entirely sure if he should be suspicious about this guy or not. He seems harmless, though not able to see the face does give him some bad vibes.

"Yeah, at least until I find a special orb." Michi replies and lifts his right arm so the torn sleeve can be seen, "and I also need to get my cloak fixed…"

"Maybe I can help." A young woman dressed in a deep pink dress approaches the group, her brown hair braided and in her hands is a tray of beverage.

Leon introduces her: "This is Aerith, she's with my party." while the woman hands out a glass of tea to each member. Leon gets a glass too, but he won't drink it as Aerith has a tendency of putting too much sugar in her tea.

"Nice, meeting you." Aerith smiles and turns to this hooded person, not really bothered she cannot see the face. "Shall we get you fixed right up?" He nods slowly and while she sews the ruined sleeve, Sora asks Leon about some sort of Gummi block.

But Leon can't help him there but he might one who can. "Ask Cid, he should know."

"Guess I'll go ahead and do just that." Sora smiles and tells Michi, who is getting his cloak fixed, "let's meet in the First District all right?"

"Sure." Michi nods.

Donald is still not up for having Michi coming along. "Who said he could come?!"

"Oh come on, we can't just leave him here." Sora argues, adding in a fully convinced of what the hooded said is true. "We gotta help him with his mission!"

"I don't care, he's not coming!"

"Anything to make you change your mind…?" Michi asks, winching from the glare Donald gives him. The group leaves to get this Gummi block checked, and Michi lets out an exasperated sigh, admitting to himself. "This is getting harder than I thought…"

"What exactly is your mission?" Leon decides to ask, for honestly, Donald is warranted in being reluctant to bring this guy with them.

Michi eyes the person and hesitates but, he supposes getting them on his side might help in getting rid of Donald's hostility. He takes a deep breath. "Okay, but please don't tell anyone about this." With the free hand, he pulls down the hood, revealing his face to them. They blink, probably not the face they expected, but that's alright. Michi can't say he thought about going on such a crazy mission either. "I know about… stuff, very bad stuff and I am trying to keep it from happening."

Recovering quickly from seeing this guy's face and surprise over the age, Leon narrows slightly his eyes of what Michi here had said: "Can you go into details what this bad stuff is?" Aerith eyes the man, worry shines in her green eyes.

"I am really sorry, but I'm not allowed to speak about it." Michi shakes his head. He rather not deal with Boss's anger if he can help it. "All I say that I have to find a special orb that will help me to travel around and Sora is currently my best option in finding it."

"How so?" Aerith asks, still busy fixing up Michi's black coat.

He hesitates but again really needs someone to persuade the trio that he has to tag along. "… I can't fight." Michi muses, it is a lie, but he reeeaaally does not fancy do any sort of battling, and if Sora can handle that for him, then he is golden. "I know it sounds weird; some guy on a secret mission can't fight. But it's true, and that's why my boss gave the command I needed to stick around Sora until I find that orb."

Leon stews on what Michi here has said and although he's unsure about the whole orb thing, he did notice that this guy was pretty genuine in the 'I can't fight' part. It looked that the sheer thought of swinging a weapon is something Michi really wants to avoid. He can see why this illusive boss want Michi to tag along with Sora. "You're right, Sora is your best option." He finally speaks

Aerith nods in a agreement, "We haven't known Sora for long, but he does not look the type who will watch people get hurt." She finishes up her work. "There, all fixed up."

Michi checks the sleeve and although the lines can be seen due to being another a much darker shade of black, it still has closed the holes and if really needed, he can use the dark corridors. "Thanks," he tells both and pulls the hood up again.

"I will talk to Sora before they head out," Leon promises, thinking Michi needs all the help he can get with this mission of his.

,,,,,,,,,,,

Leon's group meet up with Sora a bit later, and after having persuaded the three— mostly Donald that it would be for the best in bringing Michi with them. The duck was reluctant but agreed as neither Sora or Goofy really minded. Before they headed out, Cid asks the trio if they have heard of one named Maleficent.

Sora, Donald and Goofy do not, but Michi do recall hearing that name. "It sounds familiar, some evil lady who throws around Heartless like it's nobody's business."

"Yer right about that." Cid replies this hooded guy. "That witch controls the Heartless and I hear she's in town." Adding as he scratches his neck "It's the reason this town is now crawling with Heartless."

Leon nods and tells the young keyblade wielder. "Don't take her lightly. We lost our world, thanks to her."

"Made everyone not quick enough into Heartless and sent the rest off the world with that full-blown Heartless infestation." Cid points out and nods to Leon, Aerith and Yuffie. "Being the kind gent I am, I grabbed these three kiddies on the way off world and we ended up here."

"How long have you been here?" Michi asks slowly, hands shaking from faint but painful flashes of darkness arriving like a black tsunami, destroying everything on its path.

"Nine years." Aerith replies softly.

"That's awful!" Donald exclaims and can barely comprehend the sheer thought of how it must feel in losing one's entire home.

Leon explains the group that their ruler, a man named Ansem conducted research on the Heartless along with his apprentices. "They all— especially Ansem wrote down reports about their studies. If we can find them, we might get a clue how to be rid of the Heartless."

Okay, makes sense, Sora thinks. "Alright, where do we find these reports?"

"We don't know. They were lost to the winds when our world was destroyed." Leon replies, much to the group's disbelief and he suggests, "Maleficent should have some of the pages."

"In that case: we gotta find the rest of the pages!" Sora exclaims determent with Donald and Goofy nodding in agreement. Leon and his gang smiles while a certain hooded is wondering what mess he got himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Most of Deep Jungle was the same, the only difference is the appearance of the leopard Sabor. It's now the Boss's pet, and wouldn't have died when Sora and co, defeated it.**
> 
> **Sora met up with Riku while Michi was having his conversation with Leon and Aerith, I excluded that meeting due to it wouldn't change.**
> 
> **I included Ansem apprentices into the conversation for mostly bit world building sake, but also that Leon and the others had been aware of them before they lost their world.**


	3. World Travel

A portal opens and the once protector of Destiny Islands and the Boss of Michi walks out, carrying the comatose body of the Pure heart girl. Waiting for him in this world is the same woman who he spoke to before the fall of the islands. She jerks slightly in the surprise of seeing him come with an empty body of the Pure Heart. "Where did you put the heart?" She asks, already sensing she lacks the heart and thus light she was made to protect.

"Into a boy who earned a keyblade, though never went through the ceremony." He replies without stopping; she follows him in the walkthrough this world where childhood games about adventure is a reality. "The kid is lackluster, but the heart will be safe there for now." None of the 'villains' will bother to look at the boy with the key, so the heart will be safe until the hero has freed the other Pure hearts.

His ally takes the lead and brings him to the Indian camp; here, she asks the chief to look after what merely seems to be a sleeping girl.

"We will look after the child." The chief agrees to the woman, one who has protected them against the yellow-eyed monsters. So this is a small favor they can do for her.

She nods and he allows the Indian leader to take the body from him. With this small task done, they leave the area, heading to the edge of this world. Here, on the clock tower, she asks him. "What are your plans now?"

He smiles faintly. "Now, I will watch things unfold." For the stage belongs to his lackey at the moment, he will simply make sure Michi sticks to the contract and does not make bad decisions as he lacks the guidance of the heart.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It's unbelievable how a relationship can change after several world visits. He started out nervous and scared of Sora, and now:

_"This is Halloween, everybody make a scene_

_Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright_

_It's our town, everybody scream_

_In this town of Halloween"_

Michi sings at the song he came up with during that visit at that creepy Halloween Town, has been there a few times before, but none so… well, Sora is quite understanding that he doesn't do fighting, and it's such a relief. And it gives him time doing things he would've enjoyed back when he did have a heart.

_"I am the one hiding under your bed_

_Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red_

_I am the one hiding under your stairs_

_Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_In this town we call home_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song….'_ And that's all I got for now" Mich shrugs.

Sora smiles widely at what their perhaps noncombatant but an amusement fella to hang around with and quite a surprise to discover Michi has a talent for songs during their visit at Halloween Town. "That was great! You really should share this with Jack the next time we'll see him." Sora suggests, pretty sure Jack Skeleton would love to have this song part of his Halloween show, way safer than a bunch of Heartless.

"Yuh? You really think he will like it?" Michi asks and crosses his legs with a quiet. "He seemed more interested in scaring the bejesus out of me..."

Sora opens, but the kind argument that Jack never meant anything bad in scaring Michi never gets the chance to be voiced, for right there, a huge ship passes theirs. Sora is quick on his feet, staring out from the Gummi ship's transparent dome. "Whoa! It's a pirate ship!" He gasps in awe.

The ship turns around in the space between the worlds and starts coming at them.

"Quit gawking!" Donald cries and tries to fly their ship away from the bigger one, but the other ship got too much speed and rammed into them. The four passages got thrown around and before they knew, surrounded by pirate looking Heartless.

Donald, Goofy, and Michi get dragged away and Sora got pulled onto the deck by the Heartless that held him. "Where have you taken them?!" He demands the Heartless but of course, they did not respond.

Someone else did, however, "Are they that important to you?" Sora's best friend, Riku, a one year older boy with middle long silver hair and turquoise blue eyes. His whole attitude seems to have gotten darker the last time he and Sora saw each other. "More important than old friends?" He also looks a lot angrier than last time, something that Sora got very confused and worried as it wasn't like his friend to be this hostile. "You should worry less about them and think more about…" Riku steps aside, revealing their female friend: Kairi, she is sitting on the deck, and not responding to anything.

Not even Sora's call "Kairi!" and he runs over to where Riku and Kairi are, but gets stopped by a man having a hook for a left hand.

"You better move cautiously on my ship-boy." The dressed in red and quite fancily considering he's a pirate of a man said.

Here Sora takes notice that Riku isn't trying to stop the pirate or the Heartless and to his shock realizes that his friend is on the wrong side. "Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?! Don't you know what they are?"

Riku smiles confidently. "I have nothing to fear. The Heartless obey me now Sora."

"You're stupid. Sooner or later, they will swallow your heart!" Sora retorts and he does not like that Riku says he's too strong for that, his friend is confident but this goes to straight out arrogance. "Riku…"

Riku ignores his friends worry for his well being, the darkness he has let into his heart is giving him a rush he has never felt before and it's exhilarating. It has made him extremely arrogant, thinking with these dark powers, he can not only save Kairi but be so much stronger than Sora. "I've picked up a few other tricks as well, like this for instance." He points at Sora, making a copy of him out of shadows, much to the shock of the younger kid. "You can go and see your friends now."

Sora drops down through a trapdoor, landing right onto his friends. It's nice to know they are alright, and getting over his current jerk friend to Riku, Sora does see a silver lining in their current situation and that is Kairi is here. "I've finally found her."

"Hey, that's great, I've always wanted to meet that girl of yours." Michi points out, causing Sora to get a bit confused and flustered as the boy has just realized how much he likes Kairi.

Goofy laughs briefly and suggests from his spot. "Let's go up and talk to her. I'm sure she will be glad to see you."

Sora nods, "yeah!"

"Sounds great. Okay, but first." Donald speaks up and tells them all annoyed; "How about getting off!" as he is the one on the bottom of this pile they have become after Sora crashed onto them.

Said boy chuckles somewhat sheepishly and does get up so his three friends can get up as well.

Sora walks over to the door, but cannot peek out as he's too small. The much taller Michi can, though and the hooded shiver at what he is seeing. "Man… the place is crawling with Heartless…" he muses and Sora, who is fully understanding that their faceless companion cannot fight, ponders if he can protect Michi in such close quarters. The other worlds Michi simply left the area the Heartless were in and would return when the coast is clear. That's not possible on this ship.

"There must be another way out..." Sora muses, blinks when another voice suddenly asks: "Do you want to escape from here?"

The trio turns around and a slender boy in all green appears from behind a stack of barrels. "Who are you?" Donald asks, surprised to see there's another person in here. And this guy is floating mid-air.

"I'm Peter Pan." The floating boy introduces himself and cockily tells the group while reaching his hand to Sora for a hand-shake. "I don't think you'll be able to escape on your own."

Sora reaches out for the hand and asks this other boy. "Were you captured as well?" Right before he can take the hand, Peter Pan removes it, with a cheeky: "Ha! Only fools get thrown down here. I'm merely waiting for someone."

"Who?" Sora asks and he gets his answer when a small female with sparkly bug wings appears.

"Tinker Bell, what took you so long?" Peter Pan demands the fairy and apparently, he can understand what she's saying in how he speaks after what, "Is that so? Huh? There was another girl with her?" That caught Sora's attention and barely took notice that Tinker Bell really did not want Peter Pan to save Windy.

Donald did and laughs. "Hahaha, she's must be jealous!" which earned him a kick over the beak for that remark.

She flies off, but does, in a very huffy manner shows the group another escape when Peter Pan asks her and cools down when the flying boy praises her work. "Good job Tink." Peter flies up to the air vent but stops when he realizes the others cannot reach the spot. So grabbing the miffed Tinker Bell, shaking her and her pixie dust lands on them all. "There, now you can fly."

Donald tries but all that gets him is a crash on the floor and a fairy laughing at his face.

Peter Pan resolves in fetching a rope so they can reach the air vent. They not only get out from their imprisonment but also succeed in finding Wendy; the only thing keeping them separated is some metal netting. "Just hang on. We will get to you Wendy!" Peter tells her.

"Hey, Wendy," Sora calls up to this other girl, getting her attention. "is there another girl with you?"

Wendy nods, "Oh yes, but she seems to be asleep." She replies as this girl hasn't been responding to her at all but is definitely still breathing.

"Kairi, Kairi can you hear me?" Sora calls, reaching out for her. It's not much but she did respond by moving her hand down to where he and the others are, but before he can figure out a way to reach the two girls.

The door slams open and a man calls. "Okay, girls, captain Hook is looking for you." and by his words, the Heartless reaches for the girls, only Wendy is screaming for the group's help.

That scream triggered another flashback: He's back in that place, using his blade to keep another person from slicing his throat over. He didn't have the strength to keep the blade away and when it started to cut into his skin. Sheer survival instinct kicked in. He fired a spell, hitting her right in the head and the coldest ice spell he has ever cast made the other fighter let out a piercing scream before dropping to the ground, dying from the spreading ice from that spell. Michi froze up, the whole body trembling at the flashbacks and unable to get out from seeing the defeated woman, dying agonizing slowly by his spell and before he could've even considered removing it from killing her. He got attacked by another, forcing him to fight that one as well. When all he wanted was get away from the living hell he was trapped in.

None of the other noticed their hooded comrade is stuck inside some horrible memories, too busy getting to the two girls. Peter Pan made a big enough hole for them to crawl through and right after Sora took care of the Heartless, Peter Pant checked on the unconscious Wendy who they managed to save from the Heartless. Kairi, not so much.

"Hang on, Wendy…" Peter Pan speaks softly to the knocked out girl and picks her up. Tinker Bell did not like that and enraged in how the fairy spoke about Wendy: "Shut up Tink and stop bothering me!" he snaps at her. She got quite hurt at this, but Peter Pan did not really care. He turns to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "I'm escaping with Wendy. Let's split up here."

Sora nods, "Okay. We're going to find and save Kairi." Peter Pan flies off with Wendy, and Sora is about to move on, but there he notices that Michi hasn't come up here. Looking to the deck below, he finds Michi, standing there. "Hey, Michi, the coast is clear!" He calls down, thinking the hooded merely wanted to stay out of harm's way. Michi did not react on him like he usually does, which confuses Sora, and he jumps down to him. There he notices that Michi is trembling. "Michi?" He reached out and got quite the startle from how sudden and uncanny aggressive the hooded got at that single touch to the arm he did to the hooded male.

"No, stay away from me!" Michi cries and a powerful wind spell hits Sora, sucking the air away from where's the boy is standing and he could've suffocated if not for Donald countering it with his own spell.

"What's the big idea?!" The duck cries but that only made the hooded the more freaked out and for the first time, made Michi summon a weapon, a silver rapier with a sort of wave motive around the handle. The other hand is surrounded by magic and being a spell caster himself, Donald can feel that charged up spell is powerful and can be deadly if it hits correctly. And seeing the coward to Michi suddenly stand there with a sword and a spell, it catches Donald off guard.

Recovering from have gotten all the air sucked away for a moment, Sora looks up, seeing Michi looking ready to fight but that's not what catches his attention, it's how the hooded is shaking out of fear. "Michi…" he calls softly, not sure what, but their hooded comrade is really troubled by something. He calls his name again but gets no response.

That's because Michi cannot hear them, he is too trapped in this flashback and whole body set in survival, unable to snap out from it by the voices of one he only just has come to consider a pal. All he sees are enemies, about to kill him like all the others in this terrible battle.

Too focused on what he currently considers three enemies, he does not notice movements from behind, only that the flashback spikes along with the survival instinct when someone grabs his left arm and yanks it back.

The spell gets released and yes it hurt like hell but it's clear 'Michi' here is really out of practice. It's incredible that even without a heart, this guy can show this vehement sense of panic. He forces Michi down onto the floor and hits him with a quick sleep spell, it should snap the hooded out from his trip through memory lane.

"You… you're the guy from the island!" Sora explains. It might've been a bit dark, but he recognizes the dark grey hooded shirt and loose steel-blue wristbands, along with the guy from the cave had orange and neatly sat hair.

He looks up to the boy and must admit that for one depending more on instinct than actual skill, he got quite far. "Which one of you did this?" He asks them plainly, for he has better things to do than dealing with traumatized lackeys. The three stares at him confused and he really has to resist rolling his eyes at them. Instead, he explains. "To put in simply, Michi here deals with trauma when it comes to fighting. So keep him from doing it." Crossing his arms annoyed, "Otherwise you will have to deal with him exploding like that and is straight out a pain to snap out from."

Ah, that explains why Michi really doesn't want to fight. Sora feels sorry for him and glad this young-looking man came and stopped Michi from hurting them and himself in this panic attack. And that begs the question: "Who are you?"

The man piercing yellow eyes locks onto his and Sora feels very unnerved by them. "I'm the boss of Michi." the man replies and fortunately break eye contact when he glances down to the recovering Michi. The hooded freezes up when noticing his boss towering over him. "Now, I really don't want to babysit you more than I have to, so:" The Boss throws an amulet with a transparent container that holds something that glows over to Sora.

Sora catches the amulet and by merely holding it, he feels strange sort of warmth washing over him.

"This contains some of Michi's happiest memory, it should snap him out from his panic attacks if he gets trapped by his worst memories. " Sora blinks at what this orange-haired and quite impatient acting man said. He wasn't aware one could do that.

The Boss gives Michi one look, before he walks off, disappearing down to the hallway Sora and the others came from.

Not entirely sure what just happened, Sora eyes Michi, hesitates but asks while offering him the amulet. "You going to need it?"

"I… I think I'm fine for now…" Michi muses, not sure what his emotions would've been by now. Not only did he completely freak out just because someone screamed but his Boss has to come and snap him out from it, something it's clear that man was very irritated about. He gets up from the floor. "Sorry about that…" and he sure hopes this won't ruin the relationship as he still really needs Sora, Donald and Goofy's protection.

Putting the amulet into his pocket ."It's alright. Not like you can help it." Sora replies but will agree with Goofy's words: "But gosh, you sure gave us a scare by pointing your weapon at us."

He… He summoned his weapon? Oh man, how can he hide his identity from them— "You looked more than ready to use that sword on us." Sora speaks and Michi calms down instantly.

 _'Oh, I summoned my old, old weapon. That's a relief.'_ and is a bit surprised he still remembered how to summon that rapier, hasn't been using it since… no, he's not going there! "So, um, where that girl of yours?" Michi asks in a desperate attempt to stop thinking about that part of his past.

Oh right! They have to save Kairi. Sora forgot due to Michi's surprising freak-out. "The pirates dragged her away." He briefly explains and is quick to climb back up, "Let's go!"

Sora takes the lead and destroys every Heartless getting in the way with Donald and Goofy taking care of those he is missing. They spot a pair of Heartless dragging Kairi, and several more standing in the way, that didn't stop Sora. "Out of my way!" He shouts and the Heartless honestly didn't stand much of a chance.

They run up the stairs and inside a cabin, Sora not only finds Kairi but Riku as well. His friend is holding her but before Sora can run over, Riku disappears by a black portal and out from the darkness, the shadow vision of him appears.

While Sora, Donald and Goofy deals with that shadow thing, Michi keeps his distance. Out from the corner of his eye, he spots something. held by a sort of machine, being the source to why this ship can travel between worlds: is Ethan's Keeper. "No way…" Michi gasps that he has found the orb at the most unlikely place. He grabs the orb, the creature residing inside at first reacts hostile to him, but when it realizes it's him; an old pal of its owner, it allows him to bond with it and thus use its powers. Michi smiles at the orb and now with both a way to get around and having powerful protection, he puts the orb down into his pocket.

Sora strikes the shadow and it breaks, going back to be a normal shadow. With that set, Sora leaves the cabin in search of where Riku went off to.

He does not find Riku but by the sound of that pirate to Hook:

"— running off with that girl without even saying goodbye." The pirate taunts them in a manner he knows where Riku went. And Sora wants to know why, so he demands the red-dressed man: "Where did he go?!"

"To the ruins of Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent resides." Captain Hook replies, adding as he gestures to the trapped Tinker Bell he caught when she flew off after Peter Pan yelled at her. Much to the shock of the 'heroes' "but you won't be going there and unless you intend to leave your pixie friend behind, I suggest you hand me over that key."

"Um, I doubt it will let you hold it. Very strong-hearted people can only wield keyblades." Michi points out and that surprises Hook but Sora mostly, noticing the stares the hooded jumps at the sudden attention, but do say in his defense. "Well, it's true…"

No idea who this is but it seems his plans on getting that keyblade won't work. So Hook instead resolve in telling the kid. "Time to walk the plank boy!" and right there, he hears the dreaded ticking sounds of his worst fear: the crocodile that ate his left hand. Hook straight out panics and not wanting to be anyway near that beast. "Smee, you take care of them!" he commands his so far only human lackey and hurries to his personal quarters.

Smee, very uncertain of the sudden role of handling this group but not wanting to disappoint the captain, readies the plank. "Okay then, time to take the plank, come on, go on then," he tells Sora in a hilarious manner as that guy just cannot be threatening and if not for the Heartless protecting him, then Sora would've lunged out and grabbed the trapped Tinker Bell. But since he cannot do it, he is forced to walk onto the plank and stare down to the ticking crocodile that opens its mouth for him to jump down there.

If just there is a way to save her…

"Fly, Sora! Just believe and you can do it!"

Sora looks up, sees Peter Pan and trusting this other boy, he jumps off the plank and right before he landed into the crocodile's mouth, he flew and this gave Peter Pan the opening to snatch the lantern from the utterly surprised Smee and free Tinker Bell.

Sora flies up beside Peter Pan and thanks to him, the green dressed boy smiles widely. "Hey, you didn't think I'll leave you and Tink behind, did you?" No, Sora supposes not and with this new ability, he turns to the Heartless, ignoring Smee running away. "You're going down!" and along with his friends, attacks the Heartless.

Donald and Goofy are still stuck to the ground, so Sora calls down to them. "If you believe you can fly, you will be able to fly!"

Goofy gets the hang of it pretty quickly, Donald needs a bit more time.

Michi only figures out how to fly when he leaps away from one of the ground stuck Heartless, and Sora is not surprised that their hooded comrade sought cover at the mast.

Sora returns back to beating the Heartless and along with the three others, making it so much easier now that they can fly.

Michi watches the fight from his spot, so glad he does not have to join. Instead, he cheers at them "you can do it guys I— Woah!" He cries when one of the flying Heartless tackles right into him and although he does not fall thanks to this ability of flying. The orb does fall out from his pocket and into the water. "Oh-oh…" he sure hopes that crocodile won't eat it…

With those taken care of, Peter Pan calls for Sora to watch something pretty funny. They fly over to Hook's personal quarters, here Peter Pan knocks on the door.

"Is that you, Smee?" Captain Hood asks from the inside. "Did you finish them off?"

Snickering at what he considered a worthy prank, Peter Pan pinches his nose and replies Hook in a Smee like voice. "Aye captain. They walked the plank, every last one of them." As expected, Hook runs out and seeing a good opportunity, Peter Pan jag Hook with his dagger, startling the man in an amusing manner.

Hook is not pleased to see the flying boy "P-Peter Pa— blast you!" He yells, pulls out his sword and attacks.

Peter Pan sees this more like fun and is not really worried about the whole fight, less so when he got several at his side this time aroumd. He, Sora, Donald and Goofy strike the enraged captain from pretty much each ankle, to then get quite the surprise when a huge blue bull suddenly appears from the water. It has golden metal going down its spine, opening up at the back and shows a strange space hole. It glares at the group with its ice-blue eyes, roars and headbutt Hook right off the ship.

The captain ends up fleeing from the crocodile with Smee sailing after him to save the captain.

Sora turns to the huge blue bull with space back and purple makings several places on its body, ready to fight this new arrived, but before he can run at it. Michi appears before him, hands out. "Whoa, easy there Sora. He's on our side." Sora blinks but does lower his keyblade when Michi walks over to the bull and with a single tap on his muzzle, turns the huge beast into an orb, which he puts into his black coat's pocket.

Titling his head, "Where did you get that from?" Sora asks, for his hooded friend didn't have that an hour ago.

"Took it from this Hook guy's cabin." Michi replies and reminds Sora. "It was part of my mission, so now..." his posture drops slightly, "Well, I guess now it's time to say goodbye."

"Do you have to go now?" Sora asks, sure Michi is useless when it comes to fighting. but he does make up for an enjoyable company. Michi scratches the back of his hood and much to Sora's joy: "I think I can stick around until you find Kairi." Mich replies in a tone he also would like to hang out with him and his friends a while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **even though the trio got Michi with them, there aren't enough big changes that I wanted to write their adventures in other worlds, so here is a quick summary of what would've happened in those worlds.**
> 
> **Olympus Colleserum: Michi would've told Sora his issue about fighting and thereafter watched the trio battle from the sideline.**
> 
> **Agrabah: no changes other than a few remarks from their hooded comrade.**
> 
> **Monstro: a big NOPE for Michi and he stubbornly stayed with Gepetto, letting Sora deal with Riku on his own.**
> 
> **Atlantica: Michi had to stay in the Gummi ship due to his refusal of showing his face. Sora felt rather bad for him and after he told Arial. the Mermaid allowed him to bring one of her trinkets to their waiting comrade. Michi was quite bemused in getting a pipe as a gift.**
> 
> **Halloween Town: I was very close to writing this world for that's where most would've happened. But I decided not to, so here's would've happened: Jack Skellington would have a lot of fun scaring Michi due to him being a scaredy-cat. in search of the ingredients, the hooded would whine a lot of this place is scary and come in a small spat with Donald- who got quite tired of his whining but is starting to thaw up to their hooded traveling companion. Donald tells Michi that he and the others would scare whatever that frightens the hooded.  
>  Michi wouldn't join at the battle against Oggie-Boogie, instead, sit and come up with a small song idea, as you could read part of the chapter.**
> 
> a drawing of Michi and the Bull Keeper 


	4. Chosen by the Keyblade

Against the warnings from Cid and even Leon about this world, Sora still went to the hideout of Maleficent; Hollow Bastion. He, Donald, Goofy and Michi arrive inside a ravine made of raising waters, making quite a strange sight and looking up to the castle in the horizon, Sora got a strange feeling. "I… I know this place!" He exclaims, his three friends eyes him confused and Sora tries to explain he got this strange feeling he knows this world, which is strange. "I know it but has never been here before."

"Aw, you're just hungry." Donald points out, and casts a glare at Michi, who ate what is left of the food Aerith gave them for this trip. The hooded notice the glare and takes a step behind Goofy.

but Sora knows it's not because Michi hogged most of the food. "That's not why!" He exclaims to the duck, annoyed of not been taken seriously. A sudden roar echoes through this watery ravine, reminding him they are on a mission. "Let's go!" and begins to traverse this strange place.

on top of the ravine, a disturbing sight of Riku attacking someone who might look scary but that one is definitely not a Heartless "STOP!" Sora cries and jumps in between the two.

Riku stops and is quite pleasured to see Sora here, but not for the reason the younger boy believes. "So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you."

Still not sure what Riku's problem is but Sora is getting tired of the hostile behavior coming from his friend. "Where's Kairi?" He asks, the last time he saw Kairi, it was when Riku took her through that dark portal thingie.

"What do you think?" Riku asks mockingly and snaps his fingers. "I got something for you," a wooded sword appears before Sora's feet. Much to the younger boy's confusion. "that's your new sword. For you see," he aims his hand at the keyblade. "there can't be two keyblade masters."

Much to Sora's shock and horror, the keyblade gets pulled over to Riku and in a flash of light, it has left his hand and appeared in Riku's. I t startled the three others as well. "How did you…?"

Now with keyblade in hand. "Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi, surely you have felt the vast difference in power between the two of us." Riku points out to Sora, and with those words, he leaves.

"Goofy, let's go" Donald calls for Goofy, reminding his comrade. "We have to remember our mission."

"Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all…" Goofy muses and glances to Sora along with Donald, both feeling incredibly bad for leaving their friend like this. "Sorry, Sora." Donald apologizes and they follow Riku who now has the keyblade.

Michi does not move from his spot, even though logic tells him that Sora no longer can keep him safe, he still finds himself unwilling to abandon the boy. Groaning at this stupid sense of loyalty. "Man, this sucks..."

"Are you going to leave me too…?" Sora asks slowly, after all, Michi cannot fight without getting into that panic attack of his. "I don't have the keyblade to protect you..."

He takes a seat beside the on his knees of despair Sora. "Well, I really don't like fighting, and this place scares me… " Michi sighs and admits to the boy. "Look, Sora, you're my pal. I can't just leave you like this."

Sora smiles, very grateful that one of his traveling companions choose to stick with him and it does make it quite funny since Michi has always been the one first to run away when a fight would arrive. Still, it's good to know Michi considers their friendship more important than his own safety. "Thanks Michi."

Movements from behind make both turns. The beastly looking guy is limping past them, only to collapse onto the ground a couple of steps later. Sora jumps on his feet. "Don't move! You're badly wounded…" he tells this guy.

The sentient beast turns to this boy, asking. "Why… why did you… you come here?" Neither the boy or this hooded replies, so struggling back onto his feet, Beast tells them his reason. "I came here to fight… even if I am alone… I will…" He glares up to the castle, "I will protect Belle!"

Sora picks up his wooded sword and walks over to the limping Beast. "Me too. I'm not gonna give up now."

He turns when Michi walks over as well with; "Well I can't really fight, but…" he casts a green spell on the Beast, healing the wounds. "I can offer a bit of support." Sora smiles, glad for any help these two can offer him in search for Kairi.

The trio head into the castle, fighting their way through these insane strong Heartless, Sora did do his best to help out the powerhouse to Beast, but his tree sword couldn't even hit the things. Beast did almost get overrun but there Michi called that blue bull and it gave them the needed power to get through the castle and if they happened to run into a dead-end, Beast would merely make one by destroying said wall.

A dark portal appears from the hallway the unlikely trio came from and out, another hooded appears. This one shorter than Michi and watches the three fight their way towards where Maleficent resides. "Time to split up the group." This person says in a light masculine voice, a black book appears in a swirl of darkness and by a spell from it, catches the Beast's attention with an illusion of the one he's looking for.

The moment the Beast chases after the illusion. "You're strong, but anger controls you." The hooded throws another spell and the whole hallway gets filled with Heartless that bears the illusion of the Princess of Heart. The Beast quickly realizes what the deal is and gets angrier by each Heartless that proves not to be his Belle. So now the question: "Can you keep the anger in check, or will you risk striking the one you came for?"

and with that, the hooded teleports away, leaving the Beast to suffer in his search.

Split away from Beast and not sure how much longer Michi can take before getting into another panic attack, Sora hurries forward, desperate to reach Kairi. He finds Riku inside a hall with a water fountain up against the double stairs, his current messed up friend is along with Donald and Goofy.

"Quit while you can." Riku tells him.

"Not without Kairi!" Sora retorts back.

Darkness surrounds Riku and his clothing gets replaced with a bluish armor with the Heartless sigil on the chest. "The darkness will destroy you." He tells Sora in an arrogant matter of factly and points at the younger boy, unleashing a swirl of darkness at his friend. "You don't have the power to resist it!"

Sora would've gotten really hurt if not for Goofy's quick action, he blocked the blast with his shield and tells this other boy. "Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!"

"You'll betray your king?" Riku asks and reminds Goofy. "Your orders were to follow the key and I have the keyblade."

That may be so but Goofy can't turn a blind eye and watch his friends get hurt. "But Sora is our best friend, I can't turn my back on him." and asks Donald. "Can you apologize to his majesty for me? Because I am sticking with Sora!"

"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together!" Donald calls back, leaves Riku's side and runs over to Sora. He does have problems in saying sorry, so instead the duck says. "Well, you know… all for one and one for all."

This is really touching for Sora, Donald and Goofy are willing to turn against their king's order for his sake. He truly is blessed having such great friends. "Guys…" He smiles at the two and also Michi, who went against his very nature and stuck by his side throughout the castle. And this made Sora realize that it does not matter how strong one is alone. "Riku… what you have is not power," he tells his messed-up friend. "true power lies in what causes one to care about others: the heart!"

Riku laughs at this but Sora knows now that's where his true strength lies. "I've become a part of my friend's heart just as they have become a part of mine." He readies himself for battle. "I don't need the keyblade; my friends are my power!"

and right there, the keyblade leaves Riku's hand and it returns back to Sora.

Much to the confusion and anger of the silver-haired boy. "You do not have the strength to protect!" and he attacks. Sora charges at him as well, with Donald and Goofy right behind, even Michi fires an electricity spell at Riku. Sure Riku is fast and strong, much stronger than Sora but with the union for the four, he didn't really stand much of a chance and after having lost the dark armor, Riku runs off.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy celebrate, and after they have helped Michi from snapping out of an approaching panic attack, they head out in search of Beast. They find him not much further ahead, the Beast is very enraged but mostly sad in the Heartless constantly trying to fool him in attacking the one he came looking for. They help him sort through the many Belle and defeat the Heartless disguised as her before moving on in search of both Belle and Kairi.

Michi kept bit his distance from the fighting group so he won't be hit by one of their attacks, he does stop dead in his tracks when another hooded appears by a portal, this smaller person asks in an awfully neutral voice. "Are you done goofing around with the keybearer?" Michi jumps back, fearful of having been discovered.

The other hooded does not seem to care about his reaction at all. "RTC, and report your observation. It will prove useful for the Organization."

Huh… oh, he hasn't been discovered, talk about luck. "Uh, sure, no problem." He replies his 'higher ranking' member and quickly uses his own dark portal, not to report as the other hooded wanted, but to get the hell away before he is in fact discovered. _'Sorry, Sora… but I can't stay anymore.'_

This was just too close of a call. Inside the dark corridors, Michi uses the orb and with a flash, he is gone from that area. His true mission has begun.

Inside the main room, hidden from view, a large man with short, messy dark brown hair, dressed in a red cherrywood west that has light grey fur at the opening and around the neck. His piercing blue eyes are staring at the pathway the witch to Maleficent made to Kingdom hearts, but if it's due to the many scars over the left eye or he is in fact frowning is hard to know. He stands beside a much younger female, arms crossed, revealing the right elbow has a similar scar as those he got over the face.

She has short soft berry hair. She's dressed in a pink dress that becomes rainbow-colored further down, underneath, a purple dress that shows up as sleeves as well. Two green belts, one closer to blue, around her hand is a silver wristband and her dark purple slippers have pale yellow makings around the ankle and an oval spot at the side. Her big rose-colored eyes are filled with sadness as she had to stand and watch the world she was tasked in protecting reduced to this horrible state, and now, used for evil.

"All but one of the Pure Hearts are here." She tells the large man sadly as they're both watching Riku walking over to the witch of Maleficent who stands before the still closed pathway to Kingdom Hearts. Maleficent built the gateway in the shape of the Heartless sigil. "If they get the last one…"

"They won't." He assures her. "Gula made sure of that." and explains with the look she gives him. "He told me during the last meeting that he stored the Pure Heart seeking refuge in his world inside a boy now wielding a keyblade."

She wishes she could've been to that meeting, but with everything going on, she needed to keep an eye out on her world. But it does make her feel very left out of what the others have been doing since their last meeting. "How did he… you don't think he broke the oath?" She asks him shocked.

"I doubt it." He replies to her in a simple manner and turns his gaze back to the scene down below. "Gula might like to test the limits, but he's no fool." He knows Gula won't be stupid enough to go as far as to break the oath they all made. "Might have used the boy's keyblade for the deed, he has done it before— and speaking of keyblades." He points at Riku, now possessed by the Heart Gula spoke about. That one has just summoned a keyblade very similar to them both. "Look what our prime target has been trying to forge."

She gasps at the sight. "The Key of Hearts…!" then notices something and frowns slightly, "but… it's not complete, that's only a fraction."

He's no master when it comes to sensing things, so he can only sense enough to know this is an incomplete version of that legendary keyblade. "Really? Hm, must mean that not he is destined to wield this keyblade." He speaks to himself and does wonder out loud. "Ira couldn't forge it, The Heart couldn't," nodding do to the possessed Riku. It seems neither Riku nor the Heart are fated to forge this key and maybe that's a good thing. That boy allowed himself to be taken over like this, such a waste. "Then who possibly has the strength to forge Key of Hearts?" He asks his female comrade.

"I don't know..." She speaks, like him, got no clue of who the wielder might be. All she does know, "My chosen will bring whoever it is to Aether and allows the wielder to forge their keyblade, but there will be some time before that will happen." He nods in understanding, she eyes the keyblade in that poor boy's hand. "Even with a shard he made, this incomplete Key of Heart is still powerful."

Eyeing the protector of Hollow Bastion. "Do you need me or can I be assured you can handle things from here?"

She smiles up to him. "Don't worry about me. You can return to your own duties." He nods and takes his leave. She returns back in watching the area, how the witch is leaving to deal with the one Gula chooses to carry the last Pure Heart and sure hope that carrier can live up to the task. Proves he did, for the boy arrive and the Heart possessing the other boy seems to have realized her ally's plan from how the Heart tried to get the girl's heart but the chosen boy succeed in fending him off.

She gets up, curious about how this newly flegded keyblade wielder will deal this new find, more so as the keyhole to Kingdom Hearts cannot be accessed to without all seven hearts. A sudden and familiar sense appears and she realizes her chosen have arrived. "Looks like Gula's chosen got quite the audience." She remarks to herself but is not worried in him or this other one to catch wind of her. Her illusion magic is too powerful for simple light or darkness sensing.

Returning back to the boy, who is picking up the incomplete Key of Hearts. "Is he really…" She gasps when he actually does it. This boy, utterly unaware that his own keyblade could've done this and left his own heart unharmed, willingly stabs himself with this incomplete keyblade, dooming himself in the progress.

She must admit that it has been an awful long time since she last has witnessed such a selfless act and is touched but also has to resist face-palming that this boy could've saved his own life if he had just used his own keyblade.

Two others are watching Sora's body and heart be taken by the darkness this strange keyblade released in him. Yes, it woke Kairi and by the destruction of the keyblade, returned the hearts of the other princesses, but with the cost that he is now doomed to become a mindless Heartless.

"The kid got guts I'll give him that." The taller of the two hooded remarks to the smaller one.

The smaller hooded crosses his left arm and the right hand up to the hidden face. "He served his purpose." He replies indifferently of what they have just withness. "Now the superior's Heartless can reach our ultimate goal." And right as he said it, said person appeared. But is held back by this vessel of his and that catches the smaller hooded's attention. "Riku hasn't been overtaken by darkness? Most curious and maybe something we can use for our goal."

Sora's friends and the girl takes the run for it, and the taller hooded makes a fake chuckle in how Heartless are appearing from the now complete keyhole. "If this world couldn't get more screwed over. Hard to believe it has survived this long."

"Feeling sorry for your home?" The smaller hooded asks, for once the passive voice has changed into a tone of teasing.

The taller one does not reply, not sure if he will admit the truth that… he does not care the slightest.

"Ah, it looks like we got the final member." The smaller hooded says and nods at where Sora disappeared, the element of Nothingness swirls around and a body takes shape. "Bring it back to the castle. Our superior would need to name our awaited member."

He teleports down to the spot, walks over to the just formed body and stops. For the first time in years, a hint of surprise at the sight. This husk does not look like Sora, in fact, this teenager kid looks more like one he met back when he was at that age. "What the…?" Why does his Nobody look like that other kid? He does not have a clue and he cannot think about it now. The taller hooded picks up the unconscious boy, and after have wrapped it into a bit of protective wear as his team leader did predict they might get a member on this recon mission. He teleports off with the new member, but for some reason, he does not bring the teen straight back to the castle.

Instead, he finds himself waiting for the kid to wake and buy him some ice cream, the newly created teen didn't react much on him and it for some reason made him smile as it is so differently from how he and everyone else acted when they were created. "Bit of a zombie aren't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **the return of Sora and the battle against Ansem at the End of the World is the same as in the game. The only change that will be is where Roxas gets his name, which will be in The Castle That Never Was and the Organization will only discover he is a keyblade wielder much later on.**
> 
> **I took the liberty in introducing a few characters before they would show in the next book, and since this is an AU, I decided to do a few changes in how Roxas came to be.**
> 
> _this is the end of book 1, now to the next part which is made after Chain of Memories._


End file.
